Bill Batty, drums with Novel Jazz at Skidompha Public Library

Bill Batty will be a guest percussionist with the Novel Jazz as they perform classic jazz at Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta, ME, on Thursday, 12 March, 2015, 7PM to 9:30PM.  The performance will also feature Barney Balch (trombone), Dave Clarke (guitar), Herb Maine (acoustic bass), Mike Mitchell (trumpet) and one other special guest Lefty McAuslin (tenor and alto sax).  This evening initiates their 2015 Skidompha concert series, bringing live jazz to mid-coast audiences.  Admission is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, $6 for young adults 12-18, under 12 accompanied by a parent go free.

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“NOVEL JAZZ” TO WARM UP SKIDOMPHA LIBRARY WITH HOT SWINGING JAZZ – Novel Jazz will be in concert on Thursday, 12 March, 2015 at Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta, ME.  They’ll present an evening of classic jazz out of the Great American Songbook.    More about the band can be found at their web site (www.mainejazz.net). These events began with the observation that lovers of books often are lovers of jazz. The superb acoustics of Skidompha’s atrium, plus the seating “in the round”, make it a superior place to see and hear jazz, all in a relaxed, informal atmosphere.  It was while performing at Skidompha that the band decided to forge deeper into the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.  Trombonist Barney Balch began visiting the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. to work in their Ellington collection, digging out gems of these musical geniuses and bringing them back to life in summertime concerts.

The musicians of this group have been playing straight-ahead jazz for audiences throughout Maine (and beyond) for several decades. Collectively, they share over two centuries of experience in the jazz idiom.  Performing on the 12th of March will be David Clarke (guitar), Mike Mitchell (trumpet), Herb Maine (bass) and Barney Balch (trombone).  There will also be two special guests…Bill Batty on percussion and Richard “Lefty” McAuslin on tenor and alto saxophone.

Bill Batty started playing drums at the age of 9; three years later, he was playing professionally on the Maine “bottle club circuit”. He studied privately and also went through the Jazz and Contemporary Music program at University of Maine, Augusta. Bill keeps a full gigging schedule, playing blues with Blind Albert, jump/swing with Three Button Deluxe, straight ahead jazz with The Uptown Rhythm Kings/The BCD Trio, and Caribbean tinged music with steel drum band Steelin’ Thunder.  Lefty McAuslin (tenor and alto saxophones) is a regular of the Boothbay Region during the summer months with his solo act. He also has worked in numerous bands, and backed up the famous vocalist Jimmy Dean.  In the summer, Lefty performs with Bob Page and the Jazz Babies.  Lefty is also known for his ability to play two saxophones simultaneously, a difficult technique first made famous by the late blues artist, Fats Jackson.

Skidompha evenings are informal, jazz in the round.    Admission is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, $6 for young adults 12-18 years, under 12 accompanied by a parent go free. The library is located on Main Street in downtown Damariscotta.    Call 207-563-5513 for more information.   Skidompha’s winter closure policy is that of the local school district (AOS 93); if the schools are closed, so is the library.

Ditch that cabin fever and come out and hear Novel Jazz…keeping jazz alive and swinging in the midcoast!  For more information visit www.mainejazz.netand/or www.skidompha.org.